151. Mission Incomplete: Affirmative Action Policies and Indiana University Bloomington's Minoritized Student Recruitment and Retention Programs
- Author
-
Sharp, Sacha
- Abstract
The purpose of this historical examination is to first understand the context of United States affirmative action legislation and its importance. It provides a spotlight on Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) during the civil rights movement and what led to the creation of policies that would forever impact the institutional makeup of IUB. Affirmative action plans derived from civil rights legislation eventually led to the initiation of programs that focused on recruiting and retaining students of color at IUB. Programs like Groups Special Services Program, which began in 1968, and the Minority Achievers Program (MAP), which started in 1987, are said to be products of such affirmative action policies (Affirmative Action Office 1987-1988) and still have a place on campus today, now referred to as the Groups Scholars Program and the Hudson and Holland Scholars Program, respectively. This article explores how exactly these programs came to be, what national and local events influenced them, and who had a say in their formation. Was the creation of these programs merely an accommodation to civil rights legislation and events taking place nationally, or were the actors really concerned about changing the campus makeup to incorporate more minority students? Additionally, have these programs improved the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students of color at IUB, thus creating a situation where there is no longer a need to question the purpose of affirmative action? In addition to answering these questions, the article demonstrates how IUB's affirmative action strategies can serve as an example of undermining affirmative action policies for institutions of higher education today. Rather than developing new strategies, IUB retrofitted existing programs to affirmative action policies. Because IUB still struggles to increase enrollment of students of color, institutions of higher education can reflect on the IUB's affirmative action strategies and consider what not to do when assessing their own.
- Published
- 2020